Review: BoJack Horseman (Season 2)

While perhaps not as great as its predecessor, there's still a lot of quality left in this show, and it remains a worthwhile watch for any Netflix user.

8

A few months ago, when BoJack season two was announced, I looked back on the original series, turning my thoughts into my first edge article. Oh the nostalgia. Anyways, I’m now old and bitter, and the new season is out so I’ll get on with it.

This series continues after the release of BoJack’s less-than-flattering memoirs, revealing his rather tragic lifestyle to the world. However, as with life in Hollywood, fans love to see celebrities hit their lowest, before making a spectacular artistic comeback, and now, having received the opportunity to play his dream role, BoJack has that very opportunity.

If you were to ask me to compare the second series to the original, and whether on not it held up to its previous standard, the answer would probably be “Yes, but….”, because the series is essentially the same as before, but losing a quality that I just can’t describe. It’s not rehashing the same jokes like some cheesy sitcom long out of ideas, it’s not refusing to change its characters in the fear that it’ll drive away viewers, it’s not really doing anything different, for worse or for better. The last season had its problems, I’d freely admit that, and it even had a couple dud episodes. Here, I don’t think there are any dud episodes, which is good, but it also doesn’t have any of those episodes that make you want to go back and rewatch.

The first episode stands out as a good reintroduction of the characters, and at establishing the theme for the rest of the season, and the last few episodes are memorable, but purely from the fact that they’re different from those before. Rehashing the Mad Men finale, but with less thoughtfulness or, for lack of a better word, coolness.

The overall course of the show has been described as “one step forward, two steps back” for the characters, and that has applied to the plot this season. Perhaps following this formula, as well as the security the show now has following its popularity, has caused this series to feel less complete or affecting. The easiest way to describe it is that it feels like the middle part of a trilogy, its slower, picks up after the big events of the first, and sets up for the end. It’s still a solid show, I just hope that there is that great ending, and not a continuation of this form.